Best Cranky Right Winger

Karl Gruber

Staff Pick

A practicing surgical pathologist by day, Charleston Mercury columnist Karl Gruber eloquently spouts off against all things liberal, left-wing, and Democrat-affiliated every week in his Under the Scope column. Unlike some of the more moderate and verbally polite political writers in the weekly newspaper's pages (and there are many), Gruber employs the aggressive and angry tone of the popular pundits on cable and talk radio, hitting familiar talking points against "leftist environmental nuts," the "arrogant detachment" of the Democrats from their constituency, the "fraud" of global warming theories, and President Obama's status as "political kryptonite." According to Gruber, the Republicans can do no wrong.